Queen Elizabeth II's coffin arrives in Edinburgh ahead of London funeral

Thousands lined the route to catch a glimpse as Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, seen in public for the first time, made its journey on Sunday from Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire to arrive at the late monarch's official Scottish residence of Holyroodhouse Palace in the capital city of Edinburgh.

It is the end of the first stage of what her eldest son, King Charles III, has described as his mother's "last great journey" ahead of her funeral in London on September 19.

At the end of a six-hour journey, the coffin draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland and featuring a wreath of flowers on top is to rest in the Throne Room of Holyroodhouse until Monday afternoon for the royal household to pay their respects to Britain's Queen, who died peacefully aged 96 at Balmoral on Thursday evening.

The seven-car cortege, with a police escort and the Queen's daughter Princess Anne, slowly made its way towards Edinburgh, as crowds of people gathered to see it pass and showered it with flowers on t